The article speaks about the 1822 Christmas celebration at the Kibintsy estate that belonged to D.P. Troshchinsky, a retired official of Ekaterina the Great. Among those present were the poet and dramatist V.V. Kapnist and V.A. Yanovsky – the father of N.V. Gogol. Along with that, the research carries some information about the role of Kibintsy, regarded as one of the centers of Poltava culture life, in the 1800 s–1820 s culture life of the Russian Empire. It is the first time a letter by D.P. Troshchinsky’s granddaughter, P.I. Khilkova, to her grandfather’s friend – general L.I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov is published. This letter describes the so-called «charades» which were a kind of theatrical performance staged in Kibintsy in December 1822. The article and the comments on the letter contain biographical information about Troshchinsky’s relations and acquaintances taking part in the performance and the pieces of writing it was based on.
N.V. Gogol; D.P. Troshchinsky; V.V. Kapnist; V.A. Yanovsky; P.I. Khilkova.